My latest post for Be Free, Lance on Studio Sweet Studio went up yesterday. It’s about one of my FAVORITE parts of the design process … moodboards!! Here’s a little snippet :
“One of the most crucial parts of my process as a freelance designer has always been creating moodboards for my clients. It serves as an important visual communication tool between us and is often what I use as my final stamp of approval before designing even begins. The goal? To make sure everyone is on the same page. Now, moodboards aren’t just about putting images together in a pretty way. It’s actually a larger process that I’ve shaped over time to the needs of myself + my clients. It goes a little something like this :
First things first, I always like to open communication right away with my clients. We talk pretty generally about a project in the beginning. A brief dialogue about design aesthetics and project guidelines are covered in this part so everyone knows what’s expected of each other. Once I have a firm grasp on the project, I take time to develop a questionnaire for my clients to answer via google docs. If you haven’t heard about this, it’s basically an online version of microsoft office. I like to create a document that my client and I can share and fill out as time goes on. It’s a great way to collect important information and archive it for later. Plus, you don’t have to send files back and forth. It’s all automatically saved for everyone! You’re probably thinking to yourself … what’s up with all this google doc talk and why aren’t we talking about moodboards?? Well, I actually use all collected information from clients to develop moodboards, so it’s definitely relavent + important.”
→ Continue reading at Studio Sweet Studio!!
Hey Aubri, thank you SO much!
My process from initial inquiry to moodboard is actually quite fast. I would say it all happens within a week or so of receiving a signed contract. I’ve never had a client that didn’t have pinterest, so I haven’t faced that yet. If they didn’t, I would simply have them pull images and send me a zipped folder. Google docs doesn’t require any sign in, so again, I’ve never had a problem there! I simply invite my client, via email, to join my document. And yes, I use this process with everyone! I didn’t always do it this way, but for a good three months I’ve been using this process and have loved it.
As for your other Qs, I definitely think they’d be good topics for Be Free, Lance! I wrote them down already on my growing list. :) To give you a little insight for now : I choose my clients based on what will help me grow as a designer. I tend to go with my gut on who a great client would be. And yes, I do have to turn away a lot of people so I can have a life. Ha! I promise I’ll cover all these things more in depth in the future … so stick around. :)
Thanks again lady!